Woman of the Century/Mary Stockly Cary

2256577Woman of the Century — Mary Stockly Cary

CARY, Mrs. Mary Stockly. business woman and philanthropist, born in Allenburg, Canada, 18th August, 1854. Her father, John Gait Stockly, of Philadelphia, Pa., whose business interests in Canada led him to reside there for a few years, removed to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1837. He was a pioneer in the shipping and coal interests of northern Ohio. He built and owned the first docks in Cleveland MARY STOCKLY CARY. harbor. He was of an old Virginia family of Accomac county, and his wife, Catharine Duchatel, was of French descent. Mrs. Cary's paternal grandfather, Captain Ayres Stockly, was the owner of an East Indiaman sailing from Philadelphia, and he was among the first to unfurl the American flag in the harbor of Canton. His vessel was at one time seized by the French government, and he was imprisoned in France, his heirs being among the claimants of the French spoliation funds recently ordered to be distributed by the United States Congress. Mrs. Cary"s grandmother, Mary Stockly, was one of the remarkable women in Philadelphia before the Revolutionary War. As a school-girl, Mrs. Cary was quick to learn. Her marriage to John E. Cary, a prominent lawyer of Cleveland, occurred 1st September, 1852. Mr. Cary died in 1874, leaving her with three daughters and two sons, from the time of her husband's death Mrs. Cary, with the management of her property devolving upon herself, exhibited marked and practical business sagacity. Disposing of some of her property, she increased largely her interests in those investments of her husband which she regarded as most promising. She supplied largely the capital required for the development of the Brush electric light system, and, associated with her brother, George W. Stockly, was for many years a director in its board of control. Her wealth is wisely used. Public spirited and generous, she has always taken pride in her city. She is one of the founders of its School of Art and a liberal patron of its charitable and educational institutions. She inherited from her grandfather a love of the sea and of foreign travel, and she has made the circuit of the globe, and during recent years has spent much of her time with her children in European capitals. She is an especial admirer of Japan and its people, and her talk upon the "Houses and Homes of the Japanese," before the Cleveland Sorosis, was original and unique. She is one of the most conspicuous citizens of Cleveland.